Method and system for optically inspecting headed manufactured parts

ABSTRACT

In an alternative embodiment the method and system for optically inspecting headed manufactured parts employ an inclined split track to cause the part to traverse an inspection station by gravity feed. The part is inspected for conformity to dimensional and visual standards and sorted under control of a processor based on images of the part obtained from occluded light and reflected light while the part is within the inspection station.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/501,033, filed Feb. 1, 2017, which is a national phaseapplication of PCT/US/2015/03439, filed Jun. 5, 2015, which claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/449,361, filed Aug. 1,2014; a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/414,081, filed Mar. 7, 2012; a continuation-in-part of applicationSer. No. 15/132,450, filed Apr. 19, 2016; which is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 14/629,527, filed Feb. 24,2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,575,013; which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 14/050,907, filed on Oct. 10, 2013, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,019,489; which is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/109,369, filed on May 17, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,570,504; and isrelated to application Ser. No. 13/109,393, filed on May 17, 2011, nowabandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates in general to the field of the non-contact,optical inspection of headed manufactured parts and, more particularly,to methods and systems for optically inspecting parts, such asammunition cases and threaded fasteners.

Overview

Traditional manual, gauging devices and techniques have been replaced tosome extent by automatic inspection methods and systems. However, suchautomatic inspection methods and systems still have a number ofshortcomings associated with them.

Inspection of defects on and in small arms ammunition cartridges andcases is a vital aspect in the manufacturing process, allowing formaintenance of a high level of quality and reliability in the munitionsindustry. Standards have been developed and applied by manufacturers formany years to assist in classifying various types of defects.Alternatively, a military standard is used such as that introduced in1958 by the U.S. Department of Defense, MIL-STD-636. For small armsammunition calibers up to 0.50, this standard serves to evaluate andillustrate a practical majority of defects assembled as a result ofextensive surveys covering all the small arms ammunition manufacturingfacilities in the United States.

FIG. 1a is a side schematic view of a .50 caliber case. As explained inthe above-noted military standard, a case is counted as a defectivebecause of a split case if the cartridge case shows a definiteseparation of the metal entirely through the case wall. A case isclassified as either a “major” or “critical” defect depending on thelocation of split. A split in the (I), (S) or (J) position is counted asa “major” defect when no loss of powder occurs; and as a “critical”defect when loss of powder occurs. A split in the (K), (L) or (M)position is counted as a “critical” defect.

FIG. 1b is a side schematic view of a .30 caliber case. As noted above,a case is counted as a defective because of a split case if thecartridge case shows a definite separation of the metal entirely throughthe case wall. A case is classified either as “major” or “critical”defective depending on location of split. A split in the (I) of (J)position is counted as a “major” defect when no loss of powder occurs;and as a “critical” defect when loss of powder occurs. A split in the(K), (L), or (M) position is counted as a “critical” defect.

FIG. 1c is a side schematic view of a .45 caliber case. Again, as notedabove, a case is counted as defective because of a split case if thecartridge case shows a definite separation of the metal entirely throughthe case wall. A case is classified either as a “major” or “critical”defective depending on the location of the split. A split in the (I) or(J) position is counted as a “major” defect when no loss of powderoccurs; and as a “critical” defect when loss of powder occurs. A splitin the (K), (L), or (M) position is counted as a “critical” defect.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,066 discloses an automatic visual inspection systemfor small arms ammunition which sorts visual surface flaws at high speedaccording to established standards which can be tailored to fit specificneeds.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,403,872 discloses a method and system for inspectingmanufactured parts such as cartridges and cartridge cases and sortingthe inspected parts.

WO 2005/022076 discloses a plurality of light line generators whichgenerate associated beams of light that intersect a part to beinspected.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,948 discloses an optical beam shaper for productionof a uniform sheet of light for use in a parts inspection system havinga light source including a coherent light generator, a diffractive beamshaper, and lens elements.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,034 discloses an inspection system for evaluatingrotationally asymmetric workpieces for conformance to configurationcriteria.

U.S. Pat. No. 6, 252,661 discloses an inspection system for evaluatingworkpieces for conformance to configuration criteria.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,108 discloses an inspection system whereinworkpieces to be inspected are consecutively and automatically launchedto pass unsupported through the field of view of a plurality of cameras.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,251 discloses an optical device for discriminatingthreaded workpiece by the handedness by their screw thread profiles.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,021 discloses a non-contact inspection systemcapable of evaluating spatial form parameters of a workpiece to provideinspection of parts in production.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,263 also discloses a non-contact inspection systemcapable of evaluating spatial form parameters of a workpiece to provideinspection of parts in production.

U.S. Pat No. 4,852,983 discloses an optical system which simulates theoptical effect of traveling over a large distance on light travelingbetween reference surfaces.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0174567 discloses a systemto determine the presence of cracks in parts.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0236792 discloses aninspection station for a workpiece including a conveyor, a mechanism forrotating the workpiece, and a probe.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,600 discloses a non-contact measuring device fordetermining the dimensions of a cylindrical object, such as a pipe.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,707 discloses a non-contact laser-based sensorguided by a precision mechanical system to scan a thread form producinga set of digitized images of the thread form.

WO 2009/130062 discloses a method and a device for the optical viewingof objects.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,674 discloses a method and apparatus for inspectinggear geometry via optical triangulation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,401 discloses a non-contact triangulation probesystem including a base plate and a first non-contact triangulationprobe including a light source mounted on a first movable slide.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,168,458 and 5,170,306 disclose methods and systems forgauging threaded fasteners to obtain trilobular parameters.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,568 discloses an apparatus for processing fastenersin which the fasteners are conveyed for barrier coating by a split beltconveyor system having two continuous conveyor belts that provide achannel between the belts.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,724 discloses a sorting machine in which hex-headedbolts are received from a feed station onto a dual belt conveyor system,wherein the downward facing annular surface of the head of each boltrests directly upon the dual belts as the bolt is transported within thesorting machine.

Other U.S. patents documents related to the invention include: U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,315,688; 4,598,998; 4,644,394; 4,852,983; 4,906,098; 5,521,707;5,608,530; 5,646,724; 5,291,272; 6,055,329; 4,983,043; 3,924,953;5,164,995; 4,721,388; 4,969,746; 5,012,117; 7,684,054; 7,403,872;7,633,635; 7,312,607, 7,777,900; 7,633,046; 7,633,634; 7,738,121;7,755,754; 7,738,088; 7,796,278; 7,684,054; and 7,812,970; and U.S.published patent applications 2010/0245850 and 2010/0201806.

SUMMARY OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In one example embodiment, a method of optically inspecting parts isprovided. Each of the parts has a length, a width, and an axis. Themethod includes supporting a part to be inspected at a loading station.The method also includes transferring the supported part so that thepart travels along a first path which extends from the loading stationto an inspection station at which the part has a predetermined positionand orientation for inspection. The method further includessimultaneously illuminating a plurality of exterior side surfaces of thepart which are angularly spaced apart about the axis of the part at theinspection station with a plurality of separate beams of radiation. Eachof the illuminated side surfaces includes a pair of spaced apart lateraledges of the part. The method still further includes forming an opticalimage of at least a portion of each of the illuminated side surfaces ofthe part. The method including detecting the optical images andprocessing the detected optical images to obtain a plurality of views ofthe part which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part. Themethod further includes transferring the part after the inspection atthe inspection station so that the inspected part travels along a secondpath which extends from the inspection station to an unloading station.

The views may be substantially equally spaced about the axis of the partat the inspection station.

The part may be stationary at the inspection station.

The loading station may be coincident with the unloading station.

The method may further include the step of coordinating the inspectionof the part at the inspection station with the transfer of the part toand from the inspection station to control movement of the part and theinspecting of the part.

The first and second paths may define a loop-shaped path wherein each ofthe stations is located along the loop-shape path.

The detected images may be processed to identify a defective part.

The detected images may be processed to obtain a measurement of thepart.

The method may further include displaying at least one view of the part.

The step of illuminating may include the step of generating a singlebeam of radiation and dividing or splitting the single beam of radiationinto the separate beams of radiation.

The radiation may be visible light radiation or ultraviolet radiation.

Each of the separate beams of radiation may be a reflected beam ofradiation.

The parts may include cartridge cases.

The detected optical images of the case may be processed to determine atleast one of a dent, a split, a perforation, a crack, a scratch, awrinkle, a buckle, a bulge, and a surface blemish located at the sidesurfaces of the case.

The parts may include threaded fasteners.

In another example embodiment, a system for optically inspecting partsis provided. Each of the parts has a length, width, and an axis. Thesystem includes a part transfer subsystem including a transfer mechanismadapted to receive and support a part at a loading station and totransfer the supported part so that the part travels along a first pathwhich extends from the loading station to an inspection station at whichthe part has a predetermined position and orientation for inspection andto transfer the part after inspection at the inspection station so thatthe inspected part travels along a second path which extends from theinspection station to an unloading station. The system further includesan illumination assembly to simultaneously illuminate a plurality ofexterior side surfaces of the part which are angularly spaced apart theaxis of the part with a plurality of separate beams of radiation whenthe part is located at the inspection station. Each of the illuminatedside surfaces includes a pair of spaced apart lateral edges of the part.The system still further includes a telecentric lens and detectorassembly to form an optical image of at least a portion of each of theilluminated side surfaces of the part and to detect the optical images.The system finally includes a processor to process the detected opticalimages to obtain a plurality of views of the part which are angularlyspaced about the axis of the part.

The telecentric lens may include a forward set of optical elementshaving an optical axis and an aperture diaphragm. The diaphragm isprovided with a transparent window substantially centered on the opticalaxis and located at a focal point along the optical axis of the forwardset of optical elements.

The telecentric lens may further include a rear set of optical elementswherein the diaphragm is interposed between the forward set and the rearset with the transparent window located at the focal points of theforward and rear sets of optical elements.

The detector may include an image sensor having an image plane to detectthe optical images.

The illumination assembly may include a single source of radiation and amirror subassembly to receive and divide the radiation into theplurality of separate beams of radiation.

Parts may include cartridge cases such as non-magnetic (i.e., brass)ammo cartridges.

The detected optical images may be processed to determine at least oneof a dent, a split, a perforation, a crack, a scratch, a wrinkle, abuckle, a bulge, and a surface blemish located at the side surfaces ofthe case.

The parts may include threaded fasteners, such as bolts and screwswhether magnetic or non-magnetic (i.e., stainless steel or titanium).

The views may be substantial equally spaced about the axis of the partat the inspection station.

The transfer mechanism may include a conveyor such as a magneticconveyor or a vacuum transfer conveyor.

The vacuum transfer conveyor may include a perforated conveyor beltwherein a head of the part is held against a surface of the belt.

The transfer mechanism may include a moveable table or disk or thetransfer mechanism may be a vacuum transfer mechanism.

The transfer mechanism may include a split belt conveyor in which thehead of the part is supported in a channel between the belts.

The transfer mechanism may include a split belt conveyor in which thepart is suspended in a channel between the belts by engagement of itshead with the belts.

The illumination assembly may include a partially reflective mirrorinterposed between the source and the mirror subassembly to allow theradiation to pass therethrough in a first direction and to preventradiation from passing therethrough in a second direction opposite thefirst direction.

The source of radiation may include an LED emitter and an optical groupto collimate rays of radiation emitted by the emitter.

The transparent window may be an annular window substantially centeredon the optical axis. The optical images may include the illuminatedpairs of lateral edges of the part.

The mirror subassembly may include at least one mirror disposed on oneside of the first and second paths and at least one mirror disposed onthe opposite side of the first and second paths.

The forward set of optical elements may receive rays of radiation havinga narrow range of incident angles from the illuminated pairs of lateraledges. The received rays are substantially parallel to the optical axis.

In yet another embodiment, a system for optically inspecting parts isprovided. Each of the parts has a head and a length, a width and anaxis. The system includes a part transfer subsystem including a transfermechanism adapted to receive and support a plurality of parts at theirheads in spaced apart relationship at a loading station and to transferthe support parts so that the parts travels along a first path whichextends from the loading station to an inspection station at which theparts have a predetermined position and orientation for inspection andto transfer the parts after inspection at the inspection station so thatthe inspected parts travel along a second path which extends from theinspection station to an unloading station. The system further includesan illumination assembly to simultaneously illuminate a plurality ofexterior side surfaces of each part which are angularly spaced about theaxis of the part with a plurality of separate beams of radiation whenthe part is located at the inspection station. Each of the side surfacesincluding a pair of spaced apart lateral edges of the part. The systemstill further includes a telecentric lens and detector assembly to forman optical image of at least a portion of each of the illuminated sidesurfaces and to detect the optical images. Finally, the system includesa processor to process the detected images to obtain a plurality ofviews of each of the parts angularly spaced about the axes of the parts.

The system may further include a system controller to control the parttransfer subsystem and the illumination assembly to control the flow ofparts and the inspecting of the parts at the inspection station.

In yet another embodiment a method of optically inspecting manufacturedparts is provided. Each of the manufactured parts of the type having alength, a width, an axis and a head with an underside bearing surface.The method provides for complete 360° side, top and bottom high speed(i.e. 300 parts per minute) inspections of a stream of spaced parts at asingle inspection station after which the stream of inspected parts issorted based on the inspections. The method includes the step of feedingthe part onto an angulated, split track configured as a pair of gliderails separated by a gap, to suspend the part on the rails by itsunderside bearing surface, the track having sufficient angulation topermit the part to glide on the rails to an inspection station bygravitational force. The method also includes the step of simultaneouslyimaging at the inspection station a plurality of exterior side surfacesof the part which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part toform an optical image of at least a portion of each of the imaged sidesurfaces of the part. The method further includes the step of detectingthe optical images. The method further includes the step of processingthe detected optical images to obtain a plurality of views of the partwhich are angularly spaced about the axis of the part. The methodincludes the still further step of routing the part after inspection toan unloading station.

In yet another embodiment a system for optically inspecting manufacturedparts is provided. Each of the manufactured parts of the type having alength, a width, an axis and a head with an underside bearing surface.The system provides for complete 360° side, top and bottom high speed(i.e. 300 parts per minute) inspections of a stream of spaced parts at asingle inspection station after which the stream of inspected parts issorted based on the inspections. The system includes an angulated, splittrack configured as a pair of parallel glide rails separated by achannel, to suspend a part on the rails by its underside bearingsurface, the track having sufficient angulation to permit the part toglide on the rails to an inspection station under gravitational force.The system also includes an imaging assembly at the inspection stationto simultaneously image a plurality of exterior side surfaces of thepart which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part when the partis located at the inspection station, the assembly including a detectorassembly to simultaneously form an optical image of at least a portionof each of the imaged side surfaces of the part and to detect theoptical images. The system further includes a processor to process thedetected optical images to obtain a plurality of views of the part whichare angularly spaced about the axis of the part.

The system may include glide rails having metal surfaces for contactingthe underside bearing surface of the manufactured part head.

The glide rails may have stainless steel surfaces for contacting theunderside bearing surface of the manufactured part head.

The surfaces of the glide rails contacting the underside bearing surfaceof the manufactured part head have a friction-reducing coating.

The surfaces of the glide rails contacting the underside bearing surfaceof the manufactured part head may have a friction-reducing coating of aboron-based formulation.

The glide rails may include material of sufficient transparency topermit viewing of the underside bearing surface at the inspectionstation.

The glide rails may be formed of parallel filamentary material.

The track may be mounted within a frame, and the angle of the trackadjustable by a hinged connection to the frame.

One end of the track may have a fixed vertical position relative to theframe and the vertical position of the other end of the track beadjustable through a height-adjustment mechanism connected to the frame.

The processor capability may include performing a comparison of one ormore of the plurality of views of the manufactured part to determine ifa part parameter or property is within a range of acceptable values.

The channel dimension may adjustable by an adjustment mechanism forcontrolling the separation of the glide rails to accommodate parts ofdiffering widths.

The system may further include a reject mechanism responsive to a signalfrom the processor for controlling the routing of conforming parts andnon-conforming parts after each part exits the track.

The reject mechanism may comprise an air blow off device for selectiverouting of each part after it exits the track.

The system may further include an overhead camera for imaging the topsurface of the part and providing the image to the processor todetermine if the part head conforms to a predetermined parameter orproperty within a range of acceptable values.

The overhead camera may include a pericentric lens for viewing the topand side surfaces of the part head.

The channel dimension may be adjustable by a mechanism for controllingthe separation of the glide rails to accommodate parts of differingwidths, and the overhead camera is coupled to such mechanism throughgears that move the overhead camera an amount proportionate to theadjustment of the channel dimension to keep the overhead camera properlypositioned over the part in the inspection station.

The system may include an illumination source at the inspection station,and the channel dimension may be adjustable by a mechanism forcontrolling the separation of the glide rails to accommodate parts ofdiffering widths, and the illumination source is coupled to suchmechanism through gears that move the illumination source an amountproportionate to the adjustment of the channel dimension to properlyposition the illumination source relative to the part in the inspectionstation.

Other technical advantages will be apparent to one skilled in the artfrom the following figures, descriptions and claims. Moreover, whilespecific advantages have been enumerated, various embodiments mayinclude all, some or none of the enumerated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and forfurther features and advantages thereof, reference is made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1a is a side schematic view of a .50 caliber cartridge case;

FIG. 1b is a side schematic view of a .30 caliber cartridge case;

FIG. 1c is a side schematic view of a .45 caliber cartridge case;

FIG. 2a is a side schematic view, partially broken away in crosssection, of a threaded fastener received and retained in a transfermechanism;

FIG. 2b is a side schematic view, partially broken away and in crosssection, of a threaded fastener which head is received and retainedwithin a chuck component or fixture which, in turn, is received andretained on a transfer mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematic view of an example embodiment of asystem of the invention at inspection, loading and unloading stations;

FIG. 4a is a block diagram schematic view of another example of a systemof the invention at inspection, loading and unloading stations;

FIG. 4b is a side view, partially broken away and in cross section, of aconveyor belt of a vacuum transfer conveyor wherein heads of parts suchas screws are held against a bottom surface of a perforated belt;

FIG. 4c is a side view, partially broken away and in cross section, of aconveyor belt of a vacuum transfer conveyor wherein heads of parts suchas cartridge cases are held against a bottom surface of the perforatedbelt;

FIG. 4d is a side view, partially broken away and in cross section, of asplit belt conveyor wherein parts such as hex-headed bolts are suspendedfrom the channel between the belts and supported by a downward facingannular surface of the head of each bolt resting directly upon thebelts;

FIG. 4e is a plan view of the split belt conveyor of FIG. 4 d;

FIG. 4f is an alternative arrangement for transport of a part, such asbolt with a flanged head, on a split belt conveyor of the typeillustrated in FIGS. 4d and 4 e;

FIG. 4g is a side view, partially broken away and in cross section, of asplit belt conveyor wherein parts such as cartridge cases are suspendedfrom the channel between the belts and supported by a downward facingannular surface of the head of each case resting directly upon thebelts;

FIG. 5 is top schematic block diagram view, partially broken away, of amirror subassembly (in phantom), a transfer mechanism for cartridgecases and a system controller of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side schematic block diagram view, partially broken away andin cross section, of two sources of illuminating radiation, a partiallyreflective mirror, the transfer mechanism of FIG. 5 and a telecentriclens and detector assembly associated with the mirror subassembly ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top schematic block diagram view, partially broken away, ofa mirror subassembly substantially identical to the mirror subassemblyof FIG. 5, a transfer mechanism for threaded fasteners and a systemcontroller;

FIG. 8 is a side schematic block diagram view, partially broken away andin cross section, of a source of illuminating radiation, a partiallyreflective mirror, the transfer mechanism of FIG. 7 and a secondembodiment of a telecentric lens and detector assembly corresponding tomirror subassembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan schematic block diagram view, partially brokenaway, of an illumination assembly, the telecentric lens and detectorassembly of FIG. 6, the transfer mechanism of FIG. 6 and a systemcontroller to obtain a view of one of the side surfaces of a cartridgecase at an inspection station;

FIG. 10a is top plan schematic block diagram view, partially brokenaway, of the illumination assembly, the telecentric lens and detectorassembly of FIG. 8, the transfer mechanism of FIG. 8 and a systemcontroller to obtain a view of one of the side surfaces of a threadedfastener which is ready to index into the inspection station;

FIG. 10b is similar to FIG. 10a with the threaded fastener at theinspection station with some radiation blocked by the threaded fastenerand some radiation scattered by the edges of the threaded fastener andthrough a diaphragm of the telecentric lens;

FIG. 10c is an enlarged view, partially broken away, of a portion of thetelecentric lens of FIG. 10b with corresponding rays of the radiationeither blocked or passing therethrough the diaphragm;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view wherein a framework in the figure is appliedto a part such as a cartridge case once it has been located;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a screen shot which describes a cartridgecase or bullet to be inspection;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view similar to the view of FIG. 11 whereinbuffers are applied once the case regions has been identified; and

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of a graph of data with external wires withrespect to a view of a threaded fastener.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of a system ofthe present invention particularly suited for inspection of headedmanufactured parts.

FIG. 16 is a side perspective view, partially broken away, of theinspection system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a plan perspective view, partially broken away, of theinspection system of FIG. 15, with the track for the headed parts inclosed position.

FIG. 18 is a plan perspective view, partially broken away, of theinspection system of FIG. 15, with the track for the headed parts in anopen position.

FIG. 19 is a plan view, partially broken away, of the inspection systemof FIG. 15, with the track for the headed parts in closed position.

FIG. 20 is a plan view, partially broken away, of the inspection systemof FIG. 15, with the track for the headed parts in an open position.

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic plan view of the inspection system of FIG. 15.

FIG. 22a is a schematic view of a segment of the track formed of atransparent material to permit imaging of the underside of a hex headedbolt.

FIG. 22b is a schematic view of a segment of the track having aseparation gap wider than the width of the bolt head to permit the boltto traverse the separation gap and permit imaging of the entireunderside of a hex headed bolt.

FIG. 22c is a schematic view of a segment of the track having aseparation gap narrower than the width of the bolt head to permit linescan imaging of the underside of a hex headed bolt.

FIG. 23 is a screen shot of the images of four quadrants of a headedfastener obtained by backlighting the fastener and capturing thequadrant images.

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of an image of a fastener obtained by directreflection of light from the fastener.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot of the top and side surfaces of the head of ahex headed bolt obtained by a top axial view through a pericentric lens.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of the operational steps and program logic usedin inspecting and sorting headed parts in the inspection system of FIG.15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 2a is a view of a transfer mechanism 20 for moving parts and fromwhich a part such as a threaded fastener or bolt 22 hangs or issuspended from an aperture 24 in the transfer mechanism 20 at its head.In this way the threads of the bolt 22 are exposed for opticalinspection by a system of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention. Other parts, such as the cases of FIGS. 1a-1c can besupported in a similar fashion.

FIG. 2b is a view of the threaded bolt 22 which is supported to stand onthe upper surface of a transfer mechanism 20′ by a chuck or fixture 24mounted on the mechanism 20′ at a fixed location thereon. The head ofthe bolt 22 is supported by and disposed within the fixture 24. Thisfeature allows the threads of the bolt 22 to be optically inspected inanother embodiment of a system of the present invention. Other parts,such as the cases of FIGS. 1a-1c can be supported in a similar fashion.

Generally, telecentric subsystems can extract optical edges and providemultiple side imaging of parts. One aspect of one embodiment of thepresent invention relates to a novel method and configuration which usesa telecentric subsystem including a telecentric or bi-telecentric lensto optically inspect parts which are received and supported on atransfer mechanism which moves the parts between loading, unloading, andinspection stations. At the inspection station the parts have apredetermined position and orientation for optical inspection.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 a, there are illustrated two differentexamples or embodiments of systems for optically inspecting parts suchas ammunition cases or cartridges (FIG. 3) and threaded fasteners (FIG.4a ). Each of the systems of FIGS. 3 and 4 include, a part transfersubsystem including a transfer mechanism (30 in FIG. 3, 40 in FIG. 4a )adapted to receive and retain parts thereon at a loading station atwhich a loader loads parts to be inspected from a bin or other storageor transfer device. The transfer mechanism 30 or 40 then transfers theretained parts so that the parts travel along a first path which extendsfrom the loading station to an inspection station at which the partshave a predetermined position and orientation for inspection.Subsequently, the transfer mechanism 30 or 40 transfers the parts afterinspection at the inspection station so that the inspected parts travelalong a second path which extends from the inspection station to anunloading station at which the inspected parts are unloaded from thetransfer mechanism 30 or 40 by an unloader. The loader and unloader maybe the same device, such as a robot having vision capabilities, whichcan place parts which “pass” the inspection in a “good part” bin andplace parts which don't “pass” the inspection in a “defective part” bin.The unloading station may be coincident with the loading station and theloading and unloading may be done manually or automatically.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 a, the transfer mechanism 30 may be arotating table or disk to transfer cases and the transfer mechanism 40may include a conveyor such as a magnetic or vacuum conveyor fortransferring parts such as threaded fasteners such as bolts 22 orscrews. Magnetic conveyors are frequently used to convey ferromagneticarticles, such as cans, stampings and the like. In conveyors of thistype, permanent magnets are located in the frame of the conveyor beneaththe conveying run of an endless belt and articles are attracted to themagnets so that the belt can travel along an incline or vertical path oftravel without the articles falling from the belt.

Alternatively, the transfer mechanism 30 can be modified to receive andretain threaded fasteners and the transfer mechanism 40 can be modifiedto receive and retain cartridge cases. The cartridge cases may beferromagnetic or, if not ferromagnetic, magnets may be placed in thecases.

Alternatively, an indexing, beltless magnetic conveyor may be provided.Such a conveyer may include a housing defining a longitudinal length ofthe conveyor and a magnetic rack assembly moveably supported in thehousing. The magnetic rack assembly includes a plurality of magnetassemblies supported at spaced intervals relative to one another alongthe longitudinal length of the conveyor. The beltless magnetic conveyoralso includes a drive which is controlled by the system controller toindex the magnetic rack assembly between a home or loading positionproximate to one end of the housing and an end or inspection positionwhich is proximate to an opposite end of the housing over the same path.The magnet assemblies are operable to generate a magnetic force whichacts to attract ferromagnetic material toward the housing and to movethe ferromagnetic material in the direction of the longitudinal lengthof the conveyor when the magnetic rack assembly is indexed.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3, the movable table or disk 30 may be arotary index table or disk, for transferring parts such as ammunitioncases or cartridges 32 either at the top or bottom surfaces of the table30. The rotary index table 30 typically has a central rotational axis 34and an outer periphery which has a round shape. A rotary drive of thetable is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6 and operates to rotate the indextable 30 on a base for indexing rotation about the rotational axis 34based on various sensor input signals from sensors to a systemcontroller which, in turn, provides sequential control signals to apositioning drive mechanically coupled to the rotary drive. The systemcontroller also provides control signals to a computer display, a partloader/unloader (for example, a robot) and to a control unit which movesthe rotary table 30 vertically in relation to its base so that therotary drive can drive the index table 30 between stations. After thetable 30 has moved to the desired station, the control unit controllablylowers the rotary table 30 back onto its base.

Also, alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 4b and 4c , the parttransfer subsystem may include a vacuum transfer conveyor having aconveyor belt wherein parts, such as screws 32 (FIG. 4b ) or cartridgecases 32 (FIG. 4c ) are hung or held from their heads to enable lateraloptical inspection of the parts. Such parts may include brass cartridgecases, stainless steel fasteners (such as screws) and titanium parts.Typically, such vacuum belt conveyors are capable of transferring smallparts or articles between stations while maintaining a predeterminedupright position of the part. Such conveyors or conveyor apparatustypically include a vacuum plenum 42, or mechanism for obtaining avacuum in the plenum 42, a plurality of spaced air openings in a plenumwall 44 as well as an apertured vacuum transfer belt 48 having a reachmounted for movement along an outer surface of the plenum wall 44. Theholes in the vacuum conveyor are spaced at intervals to provide a“metering effect” which allows the proper spacing for inspection andrejection of defective parts.

A further alternative form of part transport system is illustrated inFIGS. 4d-4g , in which the parts are transferred by a split beltconveyor, indicated generally at 48. In FIGS. 4d and 4e , hex-headedbolts 22 are suspended by their heads in the channel 52 between thebelts 50 a and 50 b. In this manner the shanks of the bolts 22 areexposed for inspection, less the portion of the portion of the shankjust below the head occluded by the belts. The belts can be constructedof a number of different materials, provided that they exhibit highstrength and engage the part securely to ensure the part is stablewithin the inspection station. A preferred material for the belts in thesplit belt conveyor of U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,568 is a stainless steel thatis approximately 0.625″ wide and approximately 0.032″-0.050″ thick. Ascan readily be appreciated, belts having many different thicknesses andwidths can also be utilized depending upon the shape of the particularpart to be conveyed.

FIG. 4f is an alternative arrangement for transport of a part, such asbolt 22′ with a flanged head, on a split belt conveyor 48 of the typeillustrated in FIGS. 4d and 4 e.

FIG. 4g shows an adaptation of the split belt conveyor 48 to transportcartridge cases 32. The cartridge cases 32 are suspended from thechannel 52 between the belts 50 a and b, and supported by a downwardfacing annular surface of the head of each case resting directly uponthe belts.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is illustrated a first embodimentof an illumination assembly, generally indicated at 60, tosimultaneously illuminate a plurality of exterior side surfaces of thepart such as the cartridge cases 32 supported on the table 30. (Thepositioning drive has been omitted for purposes of brevity in thefigures except for FIG. 3.) The side surfaces are angularly spaced aboutthe axis of the case 32 and are illuminated with a plurality of separatebeams of radiation when the case 32 is located at the inspectionstation. Each of the illuminated side surfaces including a pair ofspaced apart lateral edges of the case 32.

The illumination assembly 60 includes a diffusive source 61 of radiationand a mirror subassembly, generally indicated at 62, to receive anddivide the radiation into the plurality of separate beams of radiationas shown in FIG. 5. The source 61 of radiation includes an LED emitter63 controlled by the system controller and at least one optical element64 or diffuser to diffuse the rays of radiation emitted by the emitter63. The emitter 63 includes a plurality of LED's. The illuminationassembly 60 also includes a partially reflective mirror or beam splitter65 interposed between the source 61 and the mirror subassembly 62 toallow the radiation to pass therethrough in a first direction and toprevent radiation from passing therethrough in a second directionopposite the first direction.

The beam splitter 65 is located within the optical path to direct lightenergy reflected back along the optical path from the cartridge cases 32to a telecentric lens 92 and a detection device 94 (in FIG. 9) whichtypically includes a camera, which may be a digital CCD camera (e.g.;color or black/white) and an associated frame grabber (or digital framebuffer provided with the camera), which digitizes the video output fromthe television camera to obtain pixel data representing atwo-dimensional image of portions of the side surfaces of the case 32.The pixel data are stored in a memory of the frame grabber, ortransmitted, for instance, by a high speed link, directly to theprocesser of FIGS. 3 and 9.

The illumination assembly 60 may also include a ring LED illuminator 68(FIG. 6) under control of the system controller to provide directillumination of the case 32 and is used to enhance defects in thesurface of the case 32.

The mirror subassembly 62 includes at least one mirror and preferablytwo mirrors 66 disposed on one side of the first and second paths whichthe cases 32 travel and at least one mirror and preferably four mirrors67 disposed on the opposite side of the first and second paths as shownin FIG. 5.

The detected optical images are processed by the image processor todetermine at least one of a dent, a split, a perforation, a crack, ascratch, a wrinkle, a buckle, a bulge, and a surface blemish located atthe side surfaces of the case 32.

The system of FIGS. 5 and 6 (as well as the system of FIGS. 7 and 8)includes an integrated opto-mechanical subsystem designed to fullyinspect and measure parts from their sides without any need for partrotation at the inspection station. The system of FIGS. 5 and 6 (as wellas FIGS. 7 and 8) can inspect parts which are supported to stand upright(as shown in FIGS. 2b , 3, 4 a and 5-8) or which can be suspended orsupported from their heads (FIGS. 2a , 3, 4 b and 4 c).

Four orthonormal partially overlapped views of the part aresimultaneously provided to the device 94 by the telecentric lens 92through the array of mirrors 62. The optical path is designed so thatthe displacement angle between the views is almost exactly 90°. Thisoptical layout ensures complete coverage of the case's lateral surfaces.The optical path is the same for all four viewpoints. Furthermore,telecentric imaging makes the system insensitive to case decentering andtherefore suitable for measurement applications. The subsystem is thesolution for inspecting parts, such as cases, whose features would behidden when looked at from the top and for all those applications wherea part must be inspected or measured from different sides without partrotation.

The illumination devices 60 and 68 are built into the subsystem toprovide either backlight and/or direct part illumination, respectively.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, FIGS. 7 and 8 correspond to FIGS. 5 and6, respectively, except an illumination assembly, generally indicated at80, includes a collimated source of radiation, generally included at 81,as well as the mirror subassembly 62. The collimated source 81 typicallyincludes an LED emitter 83 and an optical group or set of lenses 84 tocollimate the radiation emitted by the emitter 83. A beam splitter 85 isalso provided and operates like the beam splitter 65 of FIG. 6. Also,the illuminator 68 may or may not be used. If used, the illuminator 68would be controlled by the system controller.

The system also includes the telecentric lens 92 (with a slightlymodified diaphragm) and a detector (such as the camera 94) to form anoptical image of at least a threaded portion of each of the illuminatedside surfaces of the threaded bolts 22 and to detect their opticalimages as described in detail herein.

Referring to FIG. 9, there is illustrated an illumination assembly orradiant source 90 for illuminating an object such as an ammunition caseto be imaged, and the telecentric optical lens 92 for receiving thereflected radiation from the case 91 and guiding it towards an imageplane 93 of the image acquisition device or detector, generally referredas 94. The illumination assembly 90 is provided for illustrativepurposes in FIG. 9, but it is to be understood that the preferredillumination assembly for the case 91 is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.Consequently, the radiation source 90 preferably comprises a LED emitterincluding a plurality of LED emitter elements serving to emit radiationin either the visible or ultraviolet range. The LED emitter of thesource 90 is preferably high power, capable of generating 100 optical mWor more for each emitting element. Also, the illumination assemblyincludes the mirror subassembly 62 wherein a plurality of side surfacesare illuminated and reflect light to the lens 92 for simultaneousimaging on the image plane 93.

Such as an optical or optoelectronic device for the acquisition ofimages (for example the camera or telecamera 94) has the image plane 93which can be, for example, an electronic sensor (CCD, CMOS). The case 91is received and retained at a predetermined position and orientation ona transfer mechanism such as the rotary table or disk 30. Preferably thedevice 94 is a high resolution digital telecamera, having the electronicsensor 93 with individual pixels of lateral dimensions equal to or lessthan one or more microns.

The lens 92 schematically comprises a forward set of optical elements 95proximal to the case 91, a rear optical element 96 proximal to theacquisition device 94 and an aperture diaphragm 97 interpose between theforward set and the rear set of optical elements 95 and 96,respectfully. The aperture diaphragm 97 comprises a circular window 98transparent to the radiation, which is referred to as a diaphragmaperture. For example, the aperture diaphragm 97 can comprise an opaqueplate preferably of thickness of a few tenths of a millimeter, and thediaphragm aperture can be defined a simple hole in the plate.

The diaphragm aperture or window 98 is coaxial to the optical axis 99 ofthe forward set of optical elements 95, and positioned on the focalplane of the forward set 95 defined for the wavelength range ofradiation emitted by the radiant source 90.

The position of the focal plane of a set of optical elements mostlydepends on the refraction index of the material from which the lensesare made, which, in turn, depends on the wavelength of theelectromagnetic radiation passing through the lenses.

The lens 92 only accepts ray cones 100 exhibiting a main (barycentric)axis that is parallel to the optical axis 99 of the forward set 95.Thereby, the lens 92 is a telecentric lens configured for the particularradiation. The rear set of optical element 96 serves to compensate andcorrect the residual chromatic dispersion generated by the forward setoptical elements 95 for the wavelength in question.

The optical axis of the rear set 96 coincides with the optical axis 99of the forward set 95 and the focal plane of the rear set 96 defined forthe wavelength cited above, coincides with the plane on which theaperture diaphragm 97 is located. Consequently, rays of radiation 101conveyed by the rear set 96 towards the image plane 93 form light cones,the main (barycentric) axis of which is parallel to the optical axis 99of the lens 92.

As illustrated in FIG. 10a , the forward set 95 preferably includes twopositive lenses, 102 and 103, which can exhibit a flat-convex,bi-convex, or meniscus shape. The positive lenses 101 and 102 can bothbe made in common optical glass. For example, they can both be made inlow chromatic dispersion crown glass, including, for example, Schottglass varieties classified with codes N-SK16, N-BK7, or B270.

As further illustrated in FIG. 10a , the rear set of optical elementspreferably comprises four lenses respectively numbered from 104 to 107.The lens 104 which is proximal to a diaphragm 97′ can be a negative lensserving to partially or completely correct the chromatic aberrationsgenerated by the forward set 95. The negative lens 104 can bebi-concave, flat-concave, or meniscus shaped, and can be made of commonoptical glass, for example it can be made of high chromatic dispersionflint glass, for example Schott optical glass types classified withcodes N-F2, LLF1, or N-SF1.

The rear lenses 105, 106 and 107 are positive lenses that can all bemade in common optical glass, for example in low chromatic dispersioncrown glass, including the hereinabove cited Schott optical glass typesclassified with codes N-SK16, N-BK7, or B270.

The lens 92 is therefore both telecentric on the object side andtelecentric on the image side, and overall the lens 92 is abi-telecentric lens configured for light such as visible light orultraviolet light. It may be preferable that the lens 92 is optimizedfor operation with radiation in the ultraviolet range, such that thechoice of materials from which the lenses are composed, and thecharacteristics of the lenses, including for example the curvatureradius, thickness and spatial position, permit the lens 92 to operate inthe above indicated wavelength range exhibiting very high contrast andwith performance close to the diffraction limit.

Referring to FIG. 9, the aperture 98 may have a diameter of a few mm. Inuse, the object or case 91 is positioned in front of the bi-telecentriclens 92 where it is illuminated with radiation emitted by the radiantsource 90. The radiation reflected by the case 91 passes through thebi-telecentric lens 92 and an image is formed on the sensor 93 of thetelecamera or digital camera 94 for each side surface of the case whichis illuminated.

The image obtained with the bi-telecentric lens 92 is an imagesubstantially without errors of perspective and wherein the image sizeof the observed case 91 is independent of the distance from the case 91.The use of the bi-telecentric lens 92 with radiation in the preferredrange also provides a high resolution image, exhibiting a level ofdetail of less than ten microns, compatible with the maximum resolutionof the electronic sensor 93 of the telecamera 94.

The lens 92 used in the wavelength range is therefore particularlysuited for use with devices 94 capable of high resolution imageacquisition, wherein the individual image point (pixel) is very small,and wherein the density of these pixels is very high, thereby enablingacquisition of highly detailed images.

An image acquired in this way will comprise a high number of pixels,each of which contains a significant geometric datum based the highperformance of the lens 92 operating in the wavelength range, therebybeing particularly useful for assessing the dimensions of the objectviewed by the lens 92. The high level of detail provided by theindividual pixels of the device 94 enables, after suitable processing ofthe image an accurate determination of the outline of the object to bemade, improving the efficiency of “edge detection” algorithms, thesebeing algorithms of calculation normally used in the artificial viewingsector in order to select, from a set of pixels making up an image,those pixels that define the border of the objects depicted, and therebyto establish the spatial positioning and the size of the objects.

Consequently, the assembly of FIG. 9 offers a significant improvement inthe accuracy of images in any type of application based on artificialviewing, in particular in the field of optical metrology, this beingdimensional measuring, without contact, of objects, for examplemechanical components including threaded fasteners such as screws andbolts as well as the cartridge cases 91.

FIGS. 10a and 10b illustrate another embodiment of the system whichdiffers from the previously described system of FIG. 9 with respect tothe radiant source and the diaphragm 97′. In the embodiment of FIGS. 10aand 10b a radiant source, generally indicated at 108, is provided forradiating collimated rays of radiation at parts such as a threaded bolt109 received and retained on a transfer mechanism 110 such as a rotarytable or disk 110 similar to the tables or disks 20 and 20′. Preferably,the radiant source 108 comprises an LED emitter 111 generally of thetype previously described, and a set of optical components 112 thatcollimates the radiation emitted by the LED emitter 111 such that thetransmitted rays are almost completely parallel. The radiant source 108is located facing the bi-telecentric lens 92 and oriented such that thecollimated rays leaving the optical group 112 are parallel to theoptical axis 99 of the lens 92. However, it is to be understood that theradiant source 108 is provided for illustrative purposes but it is to beunderstood that the preferred illumination assembly 80 for the bolts 109is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 in the form of the mirror subassembly 62and the collimated source 81 of radiation.

In this way, all the rays emitted by the LED emitter 111 and collimatedby the optical group or set of lenses 112 are collected by thebi-telecentric optical lens 92, and projected onto the image plane 93 ofthe camera device 94, thereby supplying the camera device 94 with highlevels of radiation per surface area. This characteristic makes theassembly efficient from the point of view of consumption of energy, asit provides images with a very high signal/noise ratio, notwithstandingthe low spectral transmittance of light provided by common opticalglass, from which the lenses of the forward set 95 and rear set 96 ofthe bi-telecentric lens 92 are made.

FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c illustrate the acquisition by optical means ofimages only of the outlines of the threaded bolt 109 being backlit andviewed by separate beams obtained from a single source of radiation. Inthis embodiment the aperture diaphragm 97′ preferably comprises acircular window 98′ transparent to the emitted radiation, the window 98′being coaxial with the optical axis 99 of the forward set 95 and therear set 96, and being located on the focal plane of both. In the centerof the circular window 92 the diaphragm 97′ comprises a disk-shapedopaque zone 113 (best shown in FIG. 10c ) exhibiting a diameter smallerthan the diameter of the circular window 98′ thereby leaving an annulartransparent opening centered on the optical axis 99 of the forward set95 and the rear set 96 and defining the diaphragm aperture. Since theannular aperture of the diaphragm 97′ lies on the focal plane of theforward set 95, with the opaque zone 112 intercepting the optical axis99, the collimated rays from the radiant source 108 are focused by theforward set 95 at a point in proximity to the center of the opaque zone113 as shown in FIG. 10a . The opaque zone 113 prevents the passage ofradiation, and consequently none of the collimated rays generated by theradiant source 108 can reach the image plane 93 which remains completelymasked with no bolts being illuminated.

The rays emitted by the radiant source 108 are never perfectly parallelto each other. Consequently, the minimum diameter d of the opaque zone112 is expressed by the equation: d=2·F1·α where α is the maximum angleof divergence of the luminous rays emitted by the radiant source 108,expressed in radians, and F1 is the focal length of the forward set 95of the bi-telecentric lens 92. When there are no objects interposedbetween the radiant source 108 and the bi-telecentric lens 92 (as shownin FIG. 10a ) the rays are intercepted or blocked by the opaque centralpart 113 of the diaphragm 97′. When an object such as the bolt 109 isinterposed between the radiant source 108 and the bi-telecentric lens 92as shown in FIG. 10b , the collimated rays 100 from the radiant source108 that reach the object bolt 109 from behind are reflected back orabsorbed, while those that interact with the edges of the bolt 109 arepartly scattered in all directions in the surrounding space, resultingin the forward set 95 of the bi-telecentric lens 92 receiving light raysfrom various directions. The telecentric lens 92 in general only acceptslight rays that are substantially parallel to the optical axis 99, whenthe inclination α of the rays 100 relative to the optical axis 99 doesnot exceed a limit value defined as a function of the diameter D of thetransparent window 98′ of the diaphragm 97′ (FIG. 10c ).

Of these almost or near parallel rays, those that are perfect parallelwith the optical axis 99 or that have an inclination very close toparallel to the optical axis 99 are blocked by the opaque zone 113 ofthe diaphragm 97′. Consequently, the annular transparent zone of theaperture diaphragm 97′ permits passage only of the rays that reach theforward set 95 with an inclination relative to the optical axis 99,sufficiently small to pass through the annular transparent window 98′and simultaneous sufficiently large not to be focused on the opaquecentral zone 113. Typically, the annular transparent zone or window 98′of the aperture diaphragm 97′ permits the passage only of light rays forwhich the following relations are simultaneously valid:

$\alpha < {\frac{D}{2*F\; 1}\mspace{14mu}{and}\mspace{14mu}\alpha} > \frac{d}{2*F\; 1}$where α is the inclination of the luminous ray relative to the opticalaxis 99 of the lens 92, Fl is the focal length of the forward set 95, Dis the diameter of the circular window 98′ and d is the diameter of theopaque central zone 112 (FIG. 10c ). In these conditions the only lightrays capable of reaching the image plane 93 and, consequently, formingan image are those originating by scattering from the edges of thethreaded bolt (i.e. the threads) illuminated by the source 108 ofcollimated radiation.

Therefore, the assembly of FIGS. 10a, 10b, and 10c makes it possible tooptically obtain images of the outlines or contours of the threaded bolt109. From the above explanation, the same result could be obtained ifthe lens 92 comprised a simple object-side telecentric lens, on thecondition that the diaphragm 97′ exhibits a diaphragm aperture in theform of an annular-shaped transparent window as described above. Thelens 92 may be configured to operate with ultraviolet or visible lighton the condition that the diaphragm 97′ of the lens 92 is located on thefocal plane of the forward set 95 defined for the wavelength of theradiation.

In view of the above, the following are important considerations in thedesign of the illumination and telecentric and detector assemblies:

Standard telecentric lenses operate in the visible range;

In order to use an ultraviolet (UV) illuminator, it would be necessaryto replace both the LED illuminator and the telecentric (TC) lens withthe equivalent UV structures.

UV telecentric setups offer more contrast information at higher spatialfrequencies compared to lenses operating in the visible range.

UV telecentric setups offer more contrast information at higher spatialfrequencies compared to lenses operating in the visible range.

Telecentric lenses that are telecentric only in object space acceptincoming rays that are parallel to the main optical axis. However, whenthose rays exit the optical system, they are not parallel anymore andwould strike the detector at different angles. This results in:

-   -   lower constancy in magnification    -   point spread function inhomogeneity (spots in image space would        change in size depending on the position on the detector plane)        In bi-telecentric lenses, the optical rays remain parallel on in        image space. That means increased constancy in magnification,        more consistent information over the entire detector plane,        superior depth of field.

Data/Image Processor for the Detection of Surface Defects on SmallManufactured Parts

This vision system is especially designed for the inspection ofrelatively small manufactured parts such as threaded fasteners and smalland medium caliber ammunition. The processing of images of the cartridgecases to detect defective cases is generally described in issued U.S.Pat. No. 7,403,872 as follows.

Dent Detection

The detection of dents relies on the alteration of the angle ofreflected light caused by a surface deformation on the inspected part.Light which is incident on a surface dent will reflect along a differentaxis than light which is incident on a non-deformed section ofcircumference.

There are generally two ways to detect dents using this theory. Oneoption is to orient the light source so that light reflected off thepart exterior is aimed directly into the camera aperture. Light whichreflects off a dented region will not reflect bright background.Alternatively, the light source can be positioned with a shallower angleto the part. This will result in a low background illumination levelwith dents appearing as well deemed origin spots on the image.

The vision system detects dents on parts with multiple tapered sections.In particular, a bright background is created in highly tapered regions(with dents appearing as dark spots) while a dim background is createdin flatter regions (with dents appearing as bright spots).

As previously mentioned, the vision system has two types of lights, eachof which can be independently adjusted in order to properly illuminate agiven taper.

Perforation Detection

Detecting perforations uses both of the principles outlined above. Thetask is much simpler however, as the region containing the defect iscompletely non-reflective. Therefore, perforations are visible as darkspots on surfaces illuminated by either shallow or steep angleillumination.

Software

Because the part is essentially at a pre-defined location andorientation when the images are acquired, the software need notauto-locate the part and identify regions of interest using presetvisual clues.

Defect detection in each region of interest is typically conducted byfirst running several image processing algorithms and then analyzing theresultant pixel brightness values. Groups of pixels whose brightnessvalues exceed a preset threshold are flagged as a “bright defect,” whilegroups of pixels whose brightness values lie below a preset thresholdare flagged as a “dark defect.” Different image processing techniquesand threshold values are often needed to inspect for bright and darkdefects, even within the same part region.

Part Location

Previously locating the part in the image may be accomplished by runninga series of linear edge detection algorithms. This algorithm usesvariable threshold, smoothing and size settings to determine theboundary between a light and dark region along a defined line. Thesethree variables are not generally available to the user, but arehard-coded into the software, as the only time they will generally needto change is in the event of large scale lighting adjustments.

The software first uses the above edge detection algorithm to find theback (left) end of the part in the image.

Once the left edge of the part has been located, the software runs fourmore edge searches along the top and bottom edges of the part.

Once the top and bottom edges of the part have been located, themidpoints of the edge pairs are calculated and joined in order to findthe centerline.

The centerline search is then performed again, but rather thanconducting the linear edge detections in the vertical direction, theyare conducted perpendicular to the newly found centerline. Thisiteration reduces the small angle error associated with any potentialmisalignment of the part in the field of view.

A new centerline found using the results of the repeated top and bottomedge search.

Finally, the left edge is again located, this time along the newcenterline. This action locates the very center of the left-hand edge ofthe part.

Part Regions

Once the part has been located in the image, a framework of part regionsis defined using a hard-coded model of the anticipated part shape. Inthe case of ammunition, the regions defined by the framework includehead, extractor groove, case, taper, and neck. Each of these regions canbe varied in length and width through the user interface in order toadapt the software to varying case sizes. Note that although regions canbe adjusted in size, they cannot have their bulk shape changed. Acheckbox allows the taper and neck regions to be removed in order toinspect pistol cases (which do not have a taper). The size of the regionframework as well as the state of the Taper/No-Taper checkbox is savedin the part profile. FIG. 11 shows the definition of the various regionson the part.

This region definition is shown in screenshot of FIG. 12. Note how thediameter of the groove has been set to be the same as the diameter ofthe case, resulting in a rectangular groove profile, rather than thetrapezoid that is more frequently used.

Defect Search

Once the case regions have been defined, a buffer distance is applied tothe inside edges of each region. These buffered regions define the areawithin which the defect searches will be conducted. By buffering theinspection regions, edge anomalies and non-ideal lighting frequentlyfound near the boundaries are ignored. The size of the buffers can beindependently adjusted for each region as part of the standard userinterface and is saved in the part profile. This concept is demonstratedin FIG. 13.

There are two general defect detection algorithms that can be conductedin each region. These two algorithms are closely tied to the detectionof dents and perforations respectively as discussed above in thelighting section. More generally however, they correspond to therecognition of a group of dark pixels on a bright background or a groupof bright pixels on a dark background.

Although there are only two defect detection algorithms used across allthe regions on the part, the parameters associated with the algorithmcan be modified from region to region. Additionally, the detection ofdark and/or bright defects can be disabled for specific regions. Thisinformation is saved in the part profile.

Dark Defects

The detection of dark defects is a 6 step process.

-   -   1. Logarithm: Each, pixel brightness value (0-255) is replaced        with the log of its brightness value. This serves to expand the        brightness values of darker regions while compressing the values        of brighter regions, thereby making it easier to find dark        defects on a dim background.    -   2. Sobel Magnitude Operator: The Sobel Operator is the        derivative of the image. Therefore, the Sobel Magnitude is shown        below:

$S_{M} = {\sqrt{\left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x} \right)^{2}} + \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial y} \right)^{2}}$

although it is frequently approximated as the following:

$S_{M} = \frac{\frac{\partial f}{\partial x} + \frac{\partial f}{\partial y}}{2}$

The Sobel Magnitude Operator highlights pixels according to thedifference between their brightness and the brightness of theirneighbors. Since this operator is performed after the Logarithm filterapplied in step 1, the resulting image will emphasize dark pockets on anotherwise dim background. After the Sobel Magnitude Operator is applied,the image will contain a number of bright ‘rings’ around the identifieddark defects.

-   -   3. Invert Original Image: The original image captured by the        camera is inverted so that bright pixels appear dark and dark        pixels appear bright. This results in an image with dark defect        areas appearing as bright spots.    -   4. Multiplication: the image obtained after step 2 is multiplied        with the image obtained after step 3. Multiplication of two        images like this is functionally equivalent to performing an AND        operation on them. Only pixels which appear bright in the        resultant image. In this case, the multiplication of these two        images will result in the highlighting of the rings found in        step two, but only if these rings surround a dark spot.    -   5. Threshold: All pixels with a brightness below a specified        value are set to OFF while all pixels greater than or equal to        the specified value are set to ON.    -   6. Fill in Holes: The image obtained after the completion of        steps 1-5 appears as a series of ON-pixel rings. The final step        is to fill in all enclosed contours with ON pixels.

After completing these steps, the resultant image should consist of apixels corresponding to potential defects. These bright blobs aresuperimposed on areas that originally contained dark defects.

Bright Defects

The detection of bright defects is a two-step process.

-   -   1. Threshold: A pixel brightness threshold filter may be applied        to pick out all saturated pixels (greyscale255). A        user-definable threshold may be provided so values lower than        255 can be detected.    -   2. Count Filter: A count filter is a technique for filtering        small pixel noise. A size parameter is set (2,3,4, etc) and a        square box is constructed whose sides are this number of pixels        in length. Therefore, if the size parameter is set to 3, the box        will be 3 pixels by 3 pixels. This box is then centered on every        pixel picked out by the threshold filter applied in step 1. The        filter then counts the number of additional pixels contained        within the box which have been flagged by the threshold filter        and verifies that there is at least one other saturated pixel        present. Any pixel which fails this test has its brightness set        to 0. The effect of this filter operation is to blank out        isolated noise pixels.

Once these two steps have been completed, the resultant binary imagewill consist of ON pixels corresponding to potential defects.Furthermore, any “speckling” type noise in the original image whichwould have results in an ON pixel will have been eliminated leaving onlythose pixels which are in close proximity to other pixels which are ON.

Pixel Count

After bright and/or dark defect detection algorithms have been run in agiven region, the resultant processed images are binary. These twoimages are then OR'ed together. This results in a single image with bothbright and dark defects.

The software now counts the number of ON pixels in each detected defect.Finally, the part will be flagged as defective if either the quantity ofdefect pixels within a given connected region is above a user-definedthreshold, or if the total quantity of defect pixels across the entirepart is above a user-defined threshold.

Thread Signal/Data Processing

Introduction

What follows is a description of a thread parameter estimation process.This process which is described in general in published U.S. patentapplication 2010/0238435 provides one embodiment of a standard threadmeasurement “feature” in the method and system of the invention.

Thread Signal Processing

Thread signal processing is the process of estimating the followingthread parameters.

1) pitch

2) major diameter

3) minor diameter

4) functional diameter

5) lead deviation

6) pitch diameter

As the thread signal processing proceeds, a number of intermediate dataproducts are produced in early processing stages that are furtheranalyzed in later stages. These include:

rough pos/neg crossing locations

rough crest locations

wire position search intervals

left/right flank lines

wire positions

precise crest/root locations

3-crest average/median measurements of major diameter, minor diameter,pitch diameter

3-D crest cylinder axis

wire position projections on the 3-D crest cylinder axis

3-D crest cylinder diameter

3-D crest root-mean-square distance between crest data and fit.

These intermediate data products are analyzed to produce final estimatesof the thread parameters. For example, major diameter is estimated astwice the radius of the 3-D crest cylinder. The 3-D crest cylinder axisthen depends on the precise crest/root locations. The crest/rootlocations then depend on the search intervals based on rough crestlocations and pos/neg crossings, and on data from the originalcalibrated part data.

Processing Restrictions

Inspection Region

The thread processing occurs between position limits called aninspection region. In template editor, the user specifies the inspectionregion by manipulating the upper and lower stage position limits,overlaid on an image of the part.

These limits utilize the calibrated sensor position so that measurementsby are aligned to the approximately similar physical positions on thepart.

The estimation of thread parameters is specified to be an averageestimate over all the data within which the inspection region. Inpractice, some of the intermediate data products are estimated outsideof the inspection region in order to allow estimation of all threadparameters within the full region. For example, a wire position withinthe inspection region may require a thread crest outside the inspectionregion.

Measurement Assumption for the Inspection Region

The following requirements guide the user's placement of the inspectionregion on the image of the part.

The first assumption is that the thread parameters be constantthroughout the inspection region. This enables the software to averagethe estimates from different positions within the inspection region andnot be concerned with partitioning or segmenting the data into differentregions for special processing.

This requirement excludes the following types of data from theinspection region:

the beginning or end of a threaded region, with thread crests less thanfull height.

a threaded region with a taper.

a threaded region with a notch or extensive damage.

A second assumption is that the inspection region contains at least 4-6thread pitches. This amount of data is required to construct several ofthe intermediate data products with the required accuracy.

A third assumption is that the thread be manufactured with a 60-degreeflank angle. Thread processing implicitly utilizes this parameter inseveral places. One of the most direct usages is the conversion of leaddeviation into functional diameter.

A fourth assumption is that the thread has a cylindrical cross section.Non-cylindrical threads would require the 3-D peak cylinder to besuitably generalized. Incorrect fit to a non-cylindrical cross sectionwould lead to incorrect lead deviation measures.

A fifth assumption is that the thread has a single helix.

Measurement of the following threaded fasteners are provided:

non-standard thread types, especially self-tapping screws,

small threaded regions with 2 or 3 pitches.

Taptite trilobe threaded regions.

Rough Crossings

The thread model describes herein below is a sampled representation ofone thread profile, for exactly one pitch. Thread model starts at themidpoint of a rising thread flank and ends one pitch later.

Using a correlation detector the thread model is matched to data withinthe inspection regions producing thresholded detections within theinspection region, that are called crossings.

“Refinements” noted herein may make the crossings more accurate. Therefinements also separate the crossings into positive crossings andnegative crossings. The thread model is a lateral sequence of pointsthat represent a best estimate of the outline of one cycle of the threadform.

Rough Crest and Root Positions

A crest/root detector extracts rough crest and root positions betweenthe matched adjacent pairs of positive and negative crossings.

Pitch Estimate

A pitch estimate is required for step set gage wire diameter. Theestimate is required to be accurate enough to unambiguously select aunique gage wire from the set appropriate for the measurement. Thecurrent process utilizes a two-stage process.

This process may be simplified as described herein.

First estimate.

Crossing data is analyzed and averaged over all sensors to create athread pitch estimate, the “crossing pitch.”

Second Pitch Estimate

The steps set wire gage diameter, wire position search intervals,measure flank lines and measure 3-point diameters noted herein below arecompleted in a first iteration. Then the wire positions are averagedover all sensors and positions to compute a pitch estimate.

Set Gage Wire Diameter

Gage wires are utilized in physical thread measurements of pitchdiameter in the prior art. Two wires are placed in adjacent threads onone side of the part, and a single wire is placed on the other side ofthe part. A micrometer measures the distance between the reference lineestablished by the two adjacent gage wires and the reference pointestablished by the other gage wire. A tabulated correction formulaconverts the micrometer distance to an estimate of the pitch diameter.

Gage wire sizes are thus selected prior to the thread measurement. To dothis one estimates the thread pitch as previously described and then oneselects the closest gage wire in a set to the pitch estimate. The gagewire set utilized is the one appropriate to the type of measurement;currently there is one set for the metric coarse thread sequence, andanother for a similar English thread set. The gage wire sets are chosenat part template edit time by making a selection in a pull down list.

Wire position Search Intervals

One places “virtual” gage wires onto the calibrated sensor datathroughout the inspection region. In order to place the “virtual” gagewires we must identify search intervals for each wire to be located.

A requirement of the following processing steps is that the wirepositions in the inspection region have no gaps. Another requirement isthat a wire position search interval consist of two valid thread crests,one valid thread root between the two thread crests, and validpositive/negative crossings between the crest/root pairs.

One then searches the set of positive/negative crossings and crest/rootpositions for the set of wire position search intervals to analyze. Theresult of intervals, one set per sensor.

Measure Flank Lines

For a left flank all data is analyzed between the rough positions of theleft crest and the central root. One then determines the height limitsof a flank line data extraction region that covers 70% (a configurableparameter) of the height interval between left crest and central root.This data is extracted into a data set and fit to a line, becoming theleft flank line.

The procedure avoids the non-linear regions near the left crest andcentral root. In addition, a “flank line valid” flag is computed, basedon the RMS distance between the left flank line and the data within theleft flank line data extraction region. If the RMS distance between theflank line and the data points in the flank line data extractioninterval is larger than 10 μm per point (a configurable parameter), thenthe flag is set to invalid.

The process is repeated for the right flank line and then for all wireposition search intervals.

Measure Wire Positions

The wire positions are calculated, given the left and right flank linesand the wire size. The virtual wire is tangent to each flank line andthe resulting position is calculated with a simple geometric formula.

The position has a valid flag that is true when both flank lines arevalid, and false otherwise.

Measure 3-Point Diameters

The 3-point technique is a method to measure the minor, major, and pitchdiameters without explicitly utilizing 3-D information.

For example, consider the major diameter. It is defined as the diameterof a cylinder that contains all the inspection region's thread crests.

In this method, the top of a thread crest in calibrated sensorcoordinates forms an elementary measurement. The elementary measurementsare combined into triplets for further analysis. Only crests from thetwo sensors of a single laser are combined.

Two adjacent thread crest positions are combined with the thread crestposition that is closest to the average position of crests. The twocrests form a reference line. Then the distance from the reference lineto the crest is computed. This is the 3 crest distance for that cresttriplet.

In this manner, the 3-crest distances from all adjacent crest tripletsare computed. The 3-crest distances are all added to a data vector. The3-crest diameter measurement is either the average or the median of allthe 3-crest distances within the 3-crest data vector.

3-Point Minor Diameter

The 3-point minor diameter computes 3-point distances using precise rootlocations in the sensor data. The 3-point minor diameter is the averageof the 3-point distance vector.

3-Point Major Diameter

The 3-point major diameter computes 3-crest distances using precisecrest locations in the sensor data. The 3-point major diameter is themedian of the 3-point distance vector.

3-Point Wire Pitch Diameter

The 3-point pitch diameter computes 3-point distances using the wirepositions computed in the sensor data. The 3-point wire pitch diameteris the median of the 3-pointwire pitch diameter.

FIG. 14 is screen shot from a user interface of a PC which illustrateintermediate data extracted from a M16×1.5 thread plug gage.

Measure 3-D Crest Cylinder

The measured thread crest position data is analyzed to obtain a 3-Dcylinder with least squares methods. The 3-D crest cylinder fit hasseveral output parameters of interest.

the RMS distance between the crest position data and the fitted shape.

the 3-D location of the cylinder's central axis.

the radius of the cylinder

Project Wire Positions onto 3-D Crest Cylinder Axis

Measured wire positions can be combined with the 3-D location of the 3-Dcrest cylinder's central axis. An imaginary disk, perpendicular to thecylinder axis that goes through the measured wire position marks aposition on the 3-D crest cylinder axis.

A data set consisting of the projections of all sensor wire positions isconstructed.

The output intermediate data is a vector, sorted from minimum to maximumsensor stage position of the projected wire positions.

Thread Parameter Estimation

Thread parameter estimation utilizes the intermediate data products andmay also correct them based on a model of the measurement, prior toproducing a final thread parameter estimate.

Wire Pitch

Thread pitch is estimated from the wire center intermediate data. Foreach sensor data set the adjacent pairs of wire positions are used tocalculate an adjacent wire pitch, one per adjacent wire positions. Forall lasers, each wire pitch is added to a wire pitch vector.

The wire pitch estimate is the median of the elements in the wire pitchvector.

Major Diameter

Thread major diameter is typically reported as the diameter of the 3-Dcrest cylinder.

If the 3-D crest cylinder fit was unsuccessful, the major diameter isestimated in a different way, detailed below. The cylinder fit can faildue to several factors listed here:

part inclined at too great an angle with respect to the stage axis.

thread crest positions do not fit a cylinder, the RMS fit-to-datadistance is too large.

When the cylinder fit fails the major diameter is estimated from the3-point major diameter data. This case is special because a previouscondition (cylinder fit) has already failed. In practice, the cylinderfit most often failed when the threaded region was too short or theinspection extended beyond the end of the threaded region.

Because of this bias a simple median of the 3-point major diameter datawould typically be too low, most of the good 3-point data wasconcentrated at the highest measurements. In this case the majordiameter estimate is the value such that 20% of the 3-point data ishigher and 80% of the 3-point data is lower.

Calibration Correction

Major diameter is also corrected by a final end-to-end calibration ofthe total system. The reported major diameter is often two low, withbias ranging from −20 μm to 0.

After diameter calibration, the system is exposed to a set of measuredthread plug gages. One then plots their major diameter bias as afunction of diameter and fit a simple segmented line to the biasresults. These bias fits then are entered into the system configurationfile and are used to correct the measured major diameter with themeasured bias.

Minor Diameter

Thread minor diameter is estimated with the 3-point minor diameterdistance vector. The minor diameter value is the average of the elementsin the distance vector.

Pitch Diameter

Pitch diameter estimation uses two sets of intermediate data products,the wire positions and the 3-D crest cylinder fit.

The pitch diameter estimate calculation is presented in a step-by-steplist below:

a) Compute the pitch diameter contact points with the thread flanks bycalculating the intersection of the wire shape with the left or rightflank lines.

b) Average the left and right points of intersection, and compute thedistance (radius) from the average point to the 3-D crest cylinder fitaxis. This is the pitch diameter radius for each wire position.

c) Calculate the average value of the pitch diameter radius.

d) Correct each average wire position radius for the part projectionangle, using the angle of the 3-D crest cylinder axis to the stage axis,projected into the sensor's coordinate system.

e) Add left and right sensor corrected pitch diameter radius estimatesto product an estimate of the pitch diameter for each view.

f) Average the laser estimates to produce the system pitch diameterestimate.

Correction for Part Projection Angle

The computation of pitch diameter is complicated by projection effects.The light performs an almost perfect orthographic (shadow) projection ofthe thread's shape. However, the projection is not the same thing as thethread cross section, which is specified in thread design documents. Thecross section is the thread shape if it were cut by a plane goingthrough the thread's central axis.

The difference is caused by the thread lead angle, which is in the rangeof 1-3 degrees for many typical threads. The lead angle means that thethread cross section is most accurately viewed in shadow when theviewing direction coincides with the direction of the lead.

It is impossible to position the thread so that a shadow view of thethread is simultaneously aligned with the top and bottom threads. Forthe example of a thread with a 3 degree lead angle, tilting the threadto align the top of the thread with the viewing angle will make theangle between the lead and the viewing angle for the bottom thread about6 degrees.

A correction factor was developed for this effect. If one knows to tiltof the thread with respect to the viewing angle then you can correct theobserved pitch diameter radius for the expected bias caused by theprojection angle. This correction is precomputed and stored in a table.

For each view the tilt of the thread with respect to the viewing anglecan be obtained from the 3-D cylinder fit axis. Separate corrections areapplied for the different views.

Calibration Correction

Pitch diameter is also corrected by a final end-to-end calibration ofthe total system. The reported pitch diameter is often too high, withbias ranging from +5 μm to +35 μm.

After diameter calibration, one exposes the system to a set of measuredthread plugs gages. One then plots their pitch diameter bias as afunction of diameter and fit a simple segmented line to the biasresults. These bias fits then are entered into the system calibrationfile and are used to correct the measured pitch diameter with themeasured bias.

Lead Deviation

The lead deviation estimate uses the wire pitch and the locations of thewire positions as projected onto the cylinder fit axis.

For an ideal helical thread, the wire position projections should resultin a regular pattern along the 3-D cylinder fit axis. Lead deviation isthe deviation of that pattern from the ideal, measured as a maximumdistance of any projected wire position from the ideal pattern.

The computation of the lead deviation estimate follows a step-by-stepprocedure:

a) Create a wire position projection vector, containing all the data.

b) Sort the wire position projection vector in order of position alongthe 3-D cylinder fit axis.

c) Convert the wire positions of the elements of the vector intodegrees, by multiplying by the factor (360/pitch) and then reducing theelement values modulo 360.

d) Calculate an offset value so that the maximum absolute value of thedegree-valued element positions is minimal. For example with a leaddeviation of 0.010 mm for a 1 mm pitch thread, the absolute value of atleast one degree value element position would be 3.60 degrees (0.010)mm/1 mm equals ( 1/100) and 360/100 is 3.60)

Convert the value from degrees to mm and report as the lead deviationestimate.

All lead deviation estimates are positive.

Calibration Correction

Errors in measurement mean that the physical measurement of a perfectthread will have a positive lead deviation.

To attempt to correct for this effect, one measures the lead deviationfor a set of thread plug gages and plotted them as a function of gagediameter. The most common form observed is a constant lead deviation of0.010 mm to 0.20 mm.

This value observed in calibration with thread gages is taken to be abias. This amount of bias is entered into the system calibration fileand used to correct the measured lead deviation for this measurementbias.

Functional Diameter

Functional diameter is currently defined in practice by the fit of aspecial fit gage over the thread. The special fit gage is essentially anut that is split in two by a plane cut through the central axis of thenut. The two halves of the fit gage are held in a fixture that measuresthe distance between the two halves. There is one special fit gage forevery thread type.

Functional diameter is defined as the pitch diameter when the specialfit gage is clamped tightly over a thread plug setting gage. When oneputs a different part into the fit gage the fit gage may expandslightly, due to a summation of effects involving the differencesbetween the part and the thread plug setting gage used to setup thefunctional diameter measurement. The functional diameter measurement isthen the thread plug setting gage's pitch diameter plus the additionalseparation between the two fit gage pieces.

Functional Diameter Estimator

The functional diameter measurement method is an approximation of thefit gage method. We do not perform a full 3-D analog of the physical fitgage. Instead we have made an approximation that involves the use oflead deviation and the shape of the thread form.

If we imagine the thread form as perfect and also having a 60 degreeflank angle then lead deviations should cause the thread form fit gagepieces to move apart. A single lead deviation either up or down thethread form axis will cause a single split piece of the fitting gage tomove outward. The amount of outward movement for a 60 degree flank anglewill be equal to (√{square root over (3)}) (lead deviation). Themovement provides a clearance for both positive and negative movementsof the lead, relative to a perfect helical shape.FD=PD+√{square root over (3)} (LeadDeviation)

Learning the Thread Model

The thread model is a learned sequence of points that represent a bestestimate of the outline of one cycle of the thread form. The threadmodel is calculated when the inspection region is specified, at templateedit time.

The measure template routine uses a pattern match algorithm with a sinewave pattern to identify periodically in the inspection region data.This process determines an approximate thread pitch. The process alsocalculates a starting point in the data vector for the first beginningof the matched pattern, which is an approximation to the first midpointof a right flank line.

With the pitch and the starting point in hand, the measure templateroutine can then calculate an average thread model. Starting with thefirst sample point in the matched pattern, points that are 1,2,3, . . ., N pitches later in the inspection region are averaged to form thefirst point of the thread model. The process is repeated for all therest of the points in the first matched pattern. The thread model isthen stored in the template for later use.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS.15-21. This embodiment is an inspection system and method that usesgravity to feed headed manufactured parts (e.g., hex headed bolts,ammunition cartridges, and the like) along an inclined track through aninspection station for optical inspection for conformity to dimensionaland visual standards.

In FIG. 15, the optical inspection system is indicated generally at 200.A split track-based inspection apparatus is indicated generally at 202.A processor 204 executes the inspection process. The inspectionapparatus 202 and processor 204 are mounted within a frame 206.

Headed manufactured parts, e.g., hex headed bolts, are fed by aconventional hang-by-head feeder (see, U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,724) at ametered rate into a feed entrance 208. A hang-by-head split track 210receives the parts and carries them by their heads. See bolts 234 inFIG. 18. The split track 210 is in three segments, as more particularlyshown in FIGS. 17 and 18. A first segment upstream of an inspectionstation 212 is supported by undergirding 260A. A second segment, denotedby S in FIGS. 17 and 18, is a span of only the parallel rails of thesplit track through the inspection station 212. A third segmentdownstream of the inspection station 212 is supported by undergirding260 B. This construction tends to minimize sagging of the split track210 while maximizing exposure of the surfaces of the part while in theinspection station 212.

At the terminus of the split track 210 is an air blow off device 214,which effectively functions as a type of reject mechanism. In apreferred embodiment, the air blow off device 214 is actuated by theprocessor 204 to divert a headed part into a “good parts bin” (shown as216B in FIGS. 16 and 21) if the part is determined by the processor toconform to dimensional and visual standards. However, if the part failsto conform to the standards, it is routed directly into a “bad partsbin” (shown as 216A in FIGS. 15, 16 and 21).

The preferred embodiment for the parallel rails of the split track 210are stainless steel liners. The coefficient of friction should beconsistent along the length of the split track 210. The stainless steelliners can be replaced after routine wear.

Optional embodiments for the parallel rails of the split track 201 arefilamentary materials, such as piano wire, or monofilament fishing line.Another option is clear polycarbonate. These materials offer thepotential for enhanced exposure of the bearing surface of the headedpart while in the inspection station 212.

The inspection apparatus 202 is supported on an inclined table 218. Thetable 218 has a hinged connection to the frame 206, best seen in FIG.16. Supporting arms 220 are fastened at to the upstream end of the table218. The arms 220 have a hinged connection 232 to the frame 206 at theother end. In this manner, the feed height at the entrance 208 ismaintained.

At the other end of the table is a slotted mounting track 228 to allowfor adjustment of the angle of the table 218 (and, the angle of thesplit track 210, as well). The slotted mounting track 228 has a mountingfixture 222 at its lower end. The mounting fixture 222 includes a pinthat fits within the slot in the mounting track 228. A hand wheel 226 isrotatable to move the mounting track 228 up or down to adjust theangular position of the table 218.

The inclined table 218 is adjustable through a nominal angular range of15° to 35°. The angle of the table 218 can be set based on preliminarytrial-and-error testing of the optimal angle for the specific type ofheaded parts to be inspected by the system 200.

Optical sensors 236 and 238 are at each end of the split track 210. Theentry sensor 236 is responsive to a headed part entering the track, andsends a signal to the processor 204 informing of the introduction of thepart into the inspection apparatus 202 in the queue of parts. The endsensor 238 is responsive to a headed part having passed the inspectionstation 212 and reached the end of the track 210. The end sensor 238sends a signal to the processor informing of the exiting of the partfrom the split track 210. The processor 204 then sends a signal to theair blow off device 214 telling the device whether to divert the part,if a good part, or allow it to pass, if a bad part. This signal followsa determination made by the processor 204 based on the imaging of theheaded part when passing through the inspection station 212.

FIGS. 16-18 are perspective views, and FIG. 19 is a plan view, of theinspection apparatus 202, showing additional components.

In FIG. 16, an array of four cameras 240 are shown spaced 90° from oneanother. Each camera 240 is preferably a USB3 camera wired to theprocessor 204. The 90° spacing allows each camera 240 to image aquadrant of the headed fastener when in the inspection station 212.

An upper ring light 242 is centered about the vertical axis of theinspection station 212.

An overhead camera 244 is mounted centrally of the ring light 242. Apair of hand wheels 225 and 227 allow for adjustment of the verticalpositions of the bottom camera 262 and the ring light 264, respectively.The overhead camera 244 has a pericentric lens that images the top andside surfaces of the headed part. A pericentric lens module is availablefrom LIGHT WORKS, LLC, 4750 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, Ohio 43615, underthe model designator “Hyper-Eye.” www.1w4u.com.

FIG. 18 shows a lower camera 262 centered within a lower ring light 264.The lower ring light 264 and the upper ring light 242 are strobed whilethe headed part is in the image plane of the cameras within theinspection station. A second pair of hand wheels (not shown) allow foradjustment of the vertical positions of the upper ring light and theupper camera, respectively.

In FIG. 17 is shown a mechanism 250 for adjusting the width between therails of the split track 210 to fit the diameter of the shank, casing orcylindrical body of the manufactured headed parts to be inspected. Oneside of the track 210 is movable on a slide below the table, and theother side is fixed. The slide is connected to a lead screw (not shown)that is advanced or retracted by a hand wheel 270 that turns a shaft 272connected to the lead screw through a rack-and-pinion gear set 274.

The upper ring light 264, upper camera 262, lower ring light 242 andlower camera 244, are also mounted on movable slides. The ring lights242 and 264 and cameras 244 and 262 must be moved by one-half of thedisplacement of the movable side of the track 210 to keep them centeredin the inspection station. This is accomplished through reductiongearing on parallel shafts. See Harold A. Rothbart, MECHANICAL DESIGNAND SYSTEMS HANDBOOK, 2d. Ed., Ch. 38.3.1 “Parallel Shaft Gear Types,”McGraw-Hill 1985.

FIGS. 17-20 show an array of strobe lights 246 are mounted on the table218. The strobe lights 246 illuminate the sides of the headed part.

FIGS. 17, 19 and 20 show an eddy current detection coil 248 positionedwithin the inspection station 12 to detect eddy current defects.

FIG. 22A shows in schematic form a segment S of the split track 210having transparent rails. The transparent rails permit the undersidebearing surface of the bolt 234 to have enhanced exposure to the lowercamera 262.

FIG. 22B shows in schematic form a segment of the split track having agap in the track 210 of sufficient width to permit the bolt 234 totraverse the gap unsupported. This feature permits the entire undersideof the bolt head, i.e., bearing surface, to be in the field of view ofthe camera 262. The downstream side of the track 201 is lowered slightlyto accommodate the free fall of the bolt 234 while traversing the gap.

FIG. 22C shows in schematic form a segment of the split track 210 havinga relatively shorter gap that permits the bearing surface of the bolt tobe successively imaged by line scans as it traverses the shorter gap. Inthis embodiment the camera 262 is a line scan camera.

If desired a friction-reducing coating can be applied to the rails, e.g,a boron-based formulation as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,811,975,titled “Metalworking and Machining Fluids.”

FIG. 23 is an exemplary screen shot of the four quadrants of a headedfastener imaged in the inspection station by the cameras 240. The imagesare obtained by firing strobe lights 246 while the fastener is in viewof the cameras 240, and capturing the light not occluded by thefastener. The quadrant profiles of the fastener can be compared tostandard dimensional attributes of the fastener by the processor 204 todetermine if the fastener dimensions conform.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary screen shot of one quadrant of the fastenerconsecutively imaged in the inspection station by the cameras 240. Theimages are obtained by firing the upper and lower ring lights 242 and264 while the fastener is in view of the cameras 240, and capturinglight reflected by the fastener. The quadrant profiles of the fastenerusing reflected light images can be compared to standard visualattributes of the fastener by the processor 204 to determine if thefastener conforms, i.e., does not have cracks, scratches, flange orwasher defects, or missing features.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot of the image of the top and side surfaces ofthe headed fastener obtained through the camera 244 equipped with apericentric lens. This image is also communicated to the processor 204for comparison to standard visual attributes of the top and sidesurfaces of the fastener head to determine if the fastener conforms.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the operational steps of the inspectionmachine 200, and the processing implemented in the programmable logic ofthe controller 204.

In step 300 a headed part is fed into the entry door by a conventionalhang-by-head feeder.

In step 302 the presence of the headed part in the queue is sensed and asignal is sent to the processor to time the arrival of the part in theinspection station.

In step 304 the mounted strobe lights surrounding the inspection stationare fired while the part is in view of the cameras within the inspectionstation. The four cameras spaced 90° each capture the image of aquadrant of the part using occluded light, and send the images to theprocessor.

In step 306 the strobe ring lights above and below the inspectionstation are fired while the part is in view of the cameras within theinspection station. Both the upper and lower cameras and the fourcameras spaced 90° capture images of reflected light from the aspects ofthe part, and send the images to the processor.

In step 308 the processor compares the occluded-light images of eachquadrant of the part to standard dimensional values and tolerances forthe part.

In step 310 the processor compares the reflected-light images of thepart against visual standards for the part.

In step 312 the processor determines if the part conforms to thedimensional and visual standars. If “yes,” the part is blown off intothe “good parts bin.” If “no,” the part is routed to the “bad partsbin.”

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of optically inspecting parts, each ofthe parts of type having a length, a width, an axis and a head with anunderside bearing surface, the method comprising: feeding the part ontoan angulated, split track configured as a pair of glide rails separatedby a gap, to suspend the part on the rails by its underside bearingsurface, the track having sufficient angulation to permit the part toglide on the rails to an inspection station by gravitational force;imaging at the inspection station a plurality of exterior side surfacesof the part which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part toform an optical image of at least a portion of each of the imaged sidesurfaces of the part; imaging at the inspection station an overheadaxial view of the part to form an optical image of at least a topsurface of the part head; detecting the optical images; processing thedetected optical images to obtain a plurality of views of the part; androuting the part after inspection to an unloading station.
 2. The methodas claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of imaging at the inspectionstation the overhead axial view of the part further includes imaging theside surfaces of the part head using an overhead pericentric lens toform an optical image of the top and side surfaces of the part head. 3.The method as claimed in claim 1 further including the step of imagingat the inspection station the underside bearing surface of the part headas it traverses the inspection station to form an optical image of theunderside of the part head.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 3 whereinthe step of imaging the underside bearing surface of the part head isperformed using a line scan camera.
 5. A system for optically inspectingmanufactured parts, each of the manufactured parts of type having alength, a width, an axis and a head with an underside bearing surface,the system comprising: an angulated, split track configured as a pair ofparallel glide rails separated by a gap, to suspend a part on the railsby its underside bearing surface, the track having sufficient angulationto permit the part to glide on the rails to an inspection station undergravitational force, and wherein the track is separated by a gap at theinspection station to facilitate imaging of the underside bearingsurface of the part as it traverses the gap; an imaging assembly at theinspection station to image a plurality of exterior surfaces of thepart, including surfaces which are angularly spaced about the axis ofthe part, a top surface and the underside bearing surface, when the partis within a field of view of the imaging assembly at the inspectionstation, the assembly including a detector assembly to simultaneouslyform an optical image of at least a portion of each of the imagedsurfaces of the part and to detect the optical images; and a processorto process the detected optical images to obtain a plurality of views ofthe part which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part.
 6. Thesystem as claimed in claim 5 wherein the glide rails have metal surfacesfor contacting the underside bearing surface of the manufactured parthead.
 7. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the glide rails havestainless steel surfaces for contacting the underside bearing surface ofthe manufactured part head.
 8. The system as claimed in claim 5 whereinthe surfaces of the glide rails have a substantially constantcoefficient of friction with the underside bearing surface over thecourse of the track.
 9. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein thesurfaces of the glide rails contacting the underside bearing surface ofthe manufactured part head have a friction-reducing coating.
 10. Thesystem as claimed in claim 5 wherein the separation gap of the track atthe inspection station has a width greater than the width of the parthead to permit imaging of the underside bearing surface while the parttraverses the gap.
 11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein aheight of a track downstream of the separation gap at the inspectionstation is adjusted relative to a height of a track upstream of theseparation gap to accommodate free fall of the part while traversing theseparation gap.
 12. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein theseparation gap of the track at the inspection station has a width lessthan the width of the part head, and the underside bearing surface whilethe part is imaged by a line scan camera as it traverses the gap. 13.The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the gap dimension between therails is adjustable by an adjustment mechanism for controlling theseparation of the glide rails to accommodate parts of differing widths.14. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the processor capabilityincludes performing a comparison of one or more of the plurality ofviews of the manufactured part to determine if a part parameter orproperty is within a range of acceptable values.
 15. The system asclaimed in claim 5 wherein the processor capability includes performinga comparison of one or more of the plurality of views of themanufactured part to determine if a visual property of the part conformsto a visual standard for the part.
 16. The system as claimed in claim 5further including a reject mechanism responsive to a signal from theprocessor for controlling the routing of conforming parts andnon-conforming parts after each part exits the track.
 17. The system asclaimed in claim 16 further including an air blow off device forselective routing of each part after it exits the track.
 18. The systemas claimed in claim 5 further including an overhead camera for imagingthe top surface of the part and providing the image to the processor todetermine if the part conforms to a predetermined criterion for aphysical property of the part head.
 19. The system as claimed in claim 5wherein the imaging assembly includes an overhead camera with apericentric lens for viewing the top and side surfaces of the part head.20. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the dimension of the gapbetween the rails is adjustable by a mechanism for controlling theseparation of the glide rails to accommodate parts of differing widths,and the imaging assembly includes an overhead camera coupled to suchmechanism through gears that move the overhead camera an amountproportionate to the adjustment of the gap dimension to keep theoverhead camera properly positioned over the part in the inspectionstation.
 21. The system as claimed in claim 5 further including anillumination source at the inspection station, and wherein the dimensionof the gap between the rails is adjustable by a mechanism forcontrolling the separation of the glide rails to accommodate parts ofdiffering widths, and the imaging assembly includes an illuminationsource coupled to such mechanism through gears that move theillumination source an amount proportionate to the adjustment of the gapdimension to properly position the illumination source relative to thepart in the inspection station.
 22. A system for optically inspectingparts, each of the parts of type having a length, a width, an axis and ahead with an underside bearing surface, the system comprising: anangulated, split track, configured as a pair of parallel glide railsseparated by a gap, to suspend the part on the rails by its undersidebearing surface, the gap width being adjustable by an adjustmentmechanism so the part head has a width greater than the width of thegap, the track having an adjustable hinged connection to a supportingframe to permit selection of an angle that allows the part to glide onthe rails to an inspection station under gravitational force, and thetrack further being separated by the gap at the inspection station tofacilitate imaging of the underside bearing surface of the part as ittraverses the gap; an imaging assembly at the inspection station tosimultaneously image a plurality of exterior surfaces of the part,including surfaces which are angularly spaced about the axis of thepart, a top surface and the underside bearing surface, when the part iswithin a field of view of the imaging assembly at the inspectionstation, the assembly including a detector assembly to simultaneouslyform an optical image of at least a portion of each of the imaged sidesurfaces of the part and to detect the optical images; a processor toprocess the detected optical images to obtain a plurality of views ofthe part which are angularly spaced about the axis of the part andperform a comparison of one or more of the plurality of views of theinspected part to determine if the part conforms to a predeterminedcriterion for a physical property of the part; and a reject mechanismresponsive to a signal from the processor for controlling the routing ofconforming parts and non-conforming parts after each part exits thetrack.
 23. A high-speed method of inspecting manufactured parts of typehaving a head with an underside surface and sorting the inspected parts,the method comprising the steps of: consecutively transferring a streamof the parts suspended by their underside surfaces in rapid successionfrom a load station so that the suspended parts travel at asubstantially constant velocity along a path which extends from the loadstation through at least one inspection station including a singlevision station at which exterior side surfaces of each part which areangularly spaced about an axis of the part and the underside surface ofthe head are at least temporarily, substantially visually unobstructedand from the vision station to an unload station; illuminating theexterior side surfaces and the underside surface of each part withradiant energy when each part is at least temporarily, substantiallyvisually unobstructed in the vision station to obtain sets of reflectedand unreflected radiation signals; detecting and processing the sets ofreflected and unreflected radiation signals for each part to identifyparts having unacceptable part characteristics or defects; and sortingthe parts at the unload station based on the inspection.
 24. The methodas claimed in claim 23, wherein the underside surface of each of theparts is a bearing surface and wherein the parts slide on theirrespective bearing surface by a force of gravity.
 25. The method asclaimed in claim 24 further comprising the step of feeding the partsonto an angulated, split track configured as a pair of glide railsseparated by a gap at the load station to suspend the parts on the railsby their underside bearing surfaces, the track having sufficientangulation to permit the parts to slide on the rails to the visionstation by gravitational force.
 26. The method as claimed in claim 25,wherein the gap between the rails is adjustable to accommodate differentsized parts.
 27. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the gliderails include a transparent window to suspend a part in a generallyvertical orientation at the vision station at which the undersidesurface of each part has a position and orientation for opticalinspection and wherein the method further comprises illuminating theunderside surface of each part through the window with radiant energy atthe vision station to obtain reflected radiation signals which arereflected off the underside surface of the part and which reflectedradiation signals travel through the window.
 28. The method as claimedin claim 23, wherein each part is at least partially conductive orsemiconductive and wherein the method further comprises inducing an eddycurrent in each part, and sensing the induced eddy current to obtainelectrical signals.
 29. The method as claimed in claim 28, furthercomprising processing the electrical signals to identify a part ashaving a metallurgical defect.
 30. A high-speed system for inspectingmanufactured parts of type having a head with an underside surface andsorting the inspected parts, the system comprising: an angulated splittrack to consecutively transfer a stream of the parts suspended by theirunderside surfaces in rapid succession from a load station so that thesuspended parts travel at a substantially constant velocity along a pathwhich extends from the load station through at least one inspectionstation including a single vision station at which exterior sidesurfaces of each part which are angularly spaced about an axis of thepart and the underside surface of the head are at least temporarily,substantially visually unobstructed and from the vision station to anunload station; a plurality of illumination sources to illuminate theexterior side surfaces and the underside surface of each part withradiant energy when each part is at least temporarily, substantiallyvisually unobstructed in the vision station to obtain sets of reflectedand unreflected radiation signals; a plurality of cameras to detect thesets of reflected and unreflected radiation signals for each part; atleast one processor to identify parts having unacceptable partcharacteristics or defects based on the detected signals; and a sorterto sort the parts at the unload station based on the inspection.
 31. Thesystem as claimed in claim 30, wherein the underside surface of each ofthe parts is a bearing surface and wherein the parts slide on theirrespective bearing surface by a force of gravity.
 32. The system asclaimed in claim 31 further comprising a feeder to feed the parts ontothe split track, the split track being configured as a pair of gliderails separated by a gap at the load station to suspend the parts on therails by their underside bearing surfaces, the track having sufficientangulation to permit the parts to slide on the rails to the visionstation by gravitational force.
 33. The system as claimed in claim 32,wherein the gap between the rails is adjustable to accommodate differentsized parts.
 34. The system as claimed in claim 32, wherein the gliderails include a transparent window to suspend a part in a generallyvertical orientation at the vision station at which the undersidesurface of each part has a position and orientation for opticalinspection and wherein the one of the illumination sources illuminatesthe underside surface of each part through the window with radiantenergy at the vision station to obtain reflected radiation signals whichare reflected off the underside surface of the part and which reflectedradiation signals travel through the window.
 35. The system as claimedin claim 31, wherein each part is at least partially conductive orsemiconductive and wherein the system further comprises an eddy currentsensor to induce an eddy current in each part and sense the induced eddycurrent to obtain electrical signals.
 36. The system as claimed in claim35, wherein the at least one processor processes the electrical signalsto identify a part as having a metallurgical defect.